This piece of bone came from an unknown large demon, so it was precious. But the Old Dragon's stomach couldn't digest it, so it could only be used after it was ground into powder.
Jing Jiu was quite satisfied with his arrangement, both in terms of not wasting the bone and in terms of the wisdom of the world.
The Zhao Clan and the Jing Clan were taken care of by Gu Qing. He didn't need to worry about the magic pills sent to him every year.
Having done all this, Jing Jiu turned around and walked toward the outside of the room, ready to find the next whetstone.
Duke Lu was certain that Jing Jiu didn't remember what he had said in the Guocheng Temple. "The Emperor is under a great deal of pressure right now. Would you like to go to the Royal Palace to have a look?"
The Prince Jing Yao had grown up, which meant that the Prince Jing Xin had been imprisoned for many years. The chancellors and various forces who had connections with the Zhongzhou School became restless again. They had sent many petitions to the Royal Palace since the year before last, asking the Emperor to grant them a favor. After the battle of the Guocheng Temple, the pressure became even more obvious. It was because the Zhongzhou School and many people began to suspect that the royal family and Aoyama had reached a new agreement. The Emperor could say that he went to the temple to offer sacrifices and happened to be there; but how many people would believe him?
"Kill Jing Xin, or send him to the Guocheng Temple to be a monk. Nobody will make a fuss then."
Jing Jiu didn't understand the politics of the emperor, nor did he care about it. So his suggestion was straightforward.
Logically speaking, this was the best way to solve the current problem, which was what he had suggested back then. The problem was that the best way was not necessarily the most suitable one. To say the word "father and son" was troublesome, to say nothing of aggravating the conflict.
Duke Lu was so shocked by this suggestion that he didn't know what to say. He didn't dare continue discussing this matter with Jing Jiu. He thought of something and reported, "I returned the box of golden leaves to the Young Master Li without your permission a few years ago. What do you think about it?"
Jing Jiu wondered what the Young Master Li was. What Young Master Li?
Judging from his expression, Duke Lu knew that Jing Jiu had forgotten about it. He said with a smile, "It's the son of the governor in Dayuan City."
Back when Jing Jiu and Guo Dong traveled the world to recuperate from their wounds, they stayed in a nunnery outside Dayuan City for a long time. There, they met a Young Master Li who knew how to play the zither. Later on, Young Master Li's family declined, and even his last ancestral painting was swindled away by a so-called friend. Before he left Dayuan City, Jing Jiu left a box of golden leaves for that Young Master Li. Unexpectedly, Jing Jiu sent it to Zhaoge City, to a subordinate of Duke Lu.
Later, when the painting was found, that friend naturally did not have a good ending. Gu Qing was always so reassuring.
Jing Jiu uttered "hmm" as he recalled all this.
Duke Lu's heart skipped a beat, as he felt that this "hmm" sound was quite profound and unfathomable. Feeling nervous, Duke Lu said, "The Governor Li submitted a memorial to the throne requesting for Prince Jing Xin to be appointed as the Crown Prince; that's why he attracted these troubles. However, the evidence of his bribery is irrefutable, so it's impossible to overturn the case. It's already good enough for him to come out and return to Dayuan City to be a wealthy man."
Jing Jiu uttered "hmm" again.
This time, Duke Lu understood the meaning of this "hmm"; it was a calm and steady affirmation. He felt relieved, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
It had been ten years since he had recuperated in the Three-Thousand Nunnery. Duke Lu still remembered this trivial matter, just like Jing Shang still remembered cleaning the study room every day. Jing Jiu thought he had to respond to Duke Lu's request, so he agreed to let Duke Lu go to the Royal Palace.
Governing a country was as difficult as Cultivation; but governing a country was more troublesome, more tedious, and more boring.
Jing Jiu wasn't good at it, and he didn't want to think about it. All he did was drink tea with the Emperor for a while in the Royal Palace, chatting about what had happened in the Shui Yue Nunnery.
The Emperor glanced at Jing Jiu with a spurious smile. If he were still a youth, this smile could be described as a mischievous one.
Jing Jiu understood what he meant, saying, "You're not allowed to ask."
The Emperor raised his eyebrows, but didn't continue the topic. He looked at Jing Jiu's right hand and asked, "Can it be cured?"
"I'll go to the Cloud-Dream Mountain to get another Fairy Book, and I'll be cured immediately."
It was impossible for the Zhongzhou School to give him another Fairy Book. What Jing Jiu said could be interpreted as a joke, indicating the difficulty of the matter.
After some thought, the Emperor said, "I don't know how you're going to cure it. If you need magic pills and magic treasures, you can find some in the Royal Palace."
"Let the Curtain Rollers tell me if you need anything." Jing Jiu waved his hand, turned around, and walked toward the outside of the grand hall.
His injury couldn't be cured by magic pills. Though there were some good magic treasures in the Royal Palace, it would be a waste if the magic treasures or heavenly materials of a higher state were not strong enough, like that bird egg.
In another palace hall, Royal Concubine Hu held the Prince Jing Yao's hand, standing under a tree, anticipating the arrival of Jing Jiu.
Both she and Jing Yao felt a bit nervous. The former was thinking about the relationship between Jing Jiu and the Emperor and what had happened in the capital over the last few years, and the latter was feeling the pressure of meeting the Grandmaster. Yet, they didn't see Jing Jiu arrive. All they got was the news that Jing Jiu had left the Royal Palace.
Royal Concubine Hu was a bit disappointed, grumbling in a low voice. Jing Yao was merely a teenager, but he could see things more clearly than his mother. "The Grandmaster doesn't care about worldly affairs, and he's a true immortal-like figure. It's fate that we can meet him, but it's not a big deal if we can't."
Royal Concubine Hu curled her lips and said, "If he really doesn't care about worldly affairs, it's useless for my son no matter how high his Cultivation state is."
"Mother, you're wrong."
Jing Qiao said with a smile, "The Grandmaster is the Grandmaster, and I'm his disciple. The higher the Grandmaster's Cultivation state is, the better I am. If the Grandmaster's Cultivation state is the highest in the world, I'll be the best in the world."
This principle was so simple that even a fifteen-year-old teenager could understand it. However, those who thought too much, like Royal Concubine Hu, couldn't understand it, or were unwilling to believe such a simple principle. Many disciples of Aoyama didn't understand it back then, which was why they resented the Immortal Jingyang for staying behind closed doors on the Shenmo Peak.
…
…
Like other places in Zhaoge City, the autumn in Duke Lu's Manor House was very cold and desolate, but the smell of burning leaves in the distance added to the atmosphere.
The blind guest was sitting in the courtyard with his face tilted to the side, listening to the crackling of the burning leaves outside the courtyard wall. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. Suddenly, he heard the movements in the room and his expression changed. He thought to himself, "Which treasure are these two prodigal sons going to destroy today?"
There was a flower rack in Duke Lu's bedroom, behind which was connected to a secret and delicate mechanism. Once the mechanism was triggered, the objects on the flower rack would fall down.
Over the last twenty-three years, a few precious porcelain wares had fallen down from the flower rack and broken into pieces, which were enough to buy a nice manor house in Zhaoge City.
Lu Ming placed a hollow pastel vase on the flower rack gingerly while holding it in his hands. He felt relieved after making sure the vase wouldn't shake and nothing bad would happen to it.
But on second thought, he realized that the vase would eventually break into pieces. He couldn't help but feel it was ridiculous that he had been so cautious earlier.
"Many people in the Imperial court are guessing what kind of agreement the Emperor and Aoyama have reached. There are all kinds of guesses, but it's really ridiculous."
Duke Lu picked up the teacup and took a sip of the black tea that was the favorite in autumn, saying, "They don't know that it's not the Aoyama who wants to enter Zhaoge City and compete with the Center Sect, but the Emperor who wants to borrow the sword of Aoyama."
Lu Ming said, "The problem is that the Aoyama Sect has only sent someone from the Shenmo Peak, and the immortal masters haven't cultivated for a long time, so I'm afraid that they won't be able to control the situation."
Duke Lu glanced at his son, thinking that he knew nothing about it.
He didn't say it out loud, but Lu Ming understood his father's intention from the expression in his eyes. He thought resentfully, "If you don't say anything, I of course don't know anything."
Thinking of the Emperor's order, Duke Lu said sentimentally, "I used to think that the immortal master Jing Jiu was a Carefree Immortal who didn't know much about the affairs of the world. But today I realize that the Immortal Master is good at acting."
Lu Ming didn't understand, asking, "What do you mean?"
"The immortal master pretended not to know that the Curtain Rollers were the eyes of the Imperial court all these years, and even I believed him. Isn't his acting good enough?"
Duke Lu thought of what Jing Jiu had given him, and said to his son, "Gather the whole family after dinner. I have something important to say."
He paused for a moment, and continued, "Just gather your own family members. Don't disturb your Aunt Chi."
…
…
After dinner, the people of the Public House prepared to drink some tea and tell jokes to amuse the High Duke as usual, but they found that the atmosphere tonight was a bit strange.
The tea that should have been served long ago had not been served. The High Duke sitting at the head of the table was a bit absent-minded, and the Crown Prince was also often distracted, looking behind him from time to time.
Aunt Chi was the youngest sister of the High Duke's wife. Last year, she followed her master to the capital to seek a job and was invited to stay in the Public House. She was also a very shrewd old woman. Seeing that the situation was not right, she used a headache as an excuse and left early with her daughter-in-law and granddaughters.
Then, all the stewards and servants also left the Reception Hall, and the door was closed tightly. The three generations of the Lu family looked at each other, wondering what was going on. Especially the first branch, who had done a lot of fiddling with the accounts over the years, was extremely nervous.
Lu Ming walked to the back and took out a big teapot. He touched the body of the teapot and looked at Duke Lu worriedly, "It's a bit cold. Will it be bad?"
Duke Lu said, "The tea is not important. The key is the medicine."
Lu Ming's wife stood up hurriedly and said, "I watched it myself and didn't let anybody touch it."
Duke Lu had always been satisfied with this daughter-in-law of his. He said with a smile while stroking his beard, "That's all right. Share it with everybody."
…
…
The tea in the bowls looked black and it was unknown what was inside. However, the masters in the Public House were all very astute. Seeing that the High Duke waited for Aunt Chi to leave before speaking, and then looking at the cautious look on Lu Ming and his wife's faces as they divided the tea, and then seeing that the amount of tea in each bowl was almost exactly the same, they naturally knew that this tea must be extremely precious. After the High Duke spoke, without saying anything else, they picked up the tea and poured it into their mouths.
The taste of the tea was indeed strange, mixed with powder. It tasted like the flour tea that people on the Cold Mountain liked to eat, and also like the flour paste in Yu County, exuding a faint burnt and fishy smell. It was hard to swallow. Fortunately, the bowls and chopsticks were still there. Some people picked up the chopsticks and started playing. For a moment, the noise could be heard everywhere in the Reception Hall, as if another meal was about to begin.
Some younger grandchildren didn't want to drink the tea after smelling the fishy smell coming from the bowls, but their parents forced them to drink the tea.
Duke Lu noticed the expressions and reactions of the crowd. He didn't get angry, but felt pleased instead. Back when he chose his youngest son, Lu Ming, to inherit the title of nobility, the other two sons of course had their objections, but they took it well and turned their objections and anger into motivation to make money. They didn't do anything too messy, which showed how shrewd they were.
In a place like the State Duke Manor, kindness and gentleness were not important. What mattered most was the shrewdness and the ability to judge the situation.
Seeing all the tea had been drunk, Duke Lu stroked his long beard again and said, "Very good. I won't tell you what's in the tea. The benefits will show up gradually. You just need to enjoy it."
…
…
The bone of a powerful demon was of course an excellent tonic, something that could really prolong one's life.
The effect of prolonging one's life could only be felt on the day of one's death. However, the people in the State Duke Manor were all smart. Since they had guessed that there would be great benefits, their feelings would affect their feelings, and some of them even felt that they were floating.
Lu Ming's wife was one of them.
After the crowd dispersed, she and Lu Ming helped the old State Duke back to his room. She felt as if she were walking on soft clouds, and the spot between her eyebrows was slightly hot. She suddenly had a great courage and knelt down in front of Duke Lu with a thud.
(End of this chapter)
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